Do catering companies do tastings?

You will definitely want to check with them to see if they offer tastings. Some companies do, and others do not. You will also want to ask if there is a fee for tastings. I know many companies do complementary tastings after you have already signed with them, but charge a fee if you haven’t.

View Quoted Comment Right! I am so freaked out and don’t have lots of options. I definitely do not want to pay for something and it turn out awful and my guests hate it!! Thank you girl!!

View Quoted Comment Tooootally feel you on this! Food is such a huge part of the guest experience at a wedding. I think bad food is a fear for all us brides! And to make it even scarier, I’ve seen multiple brides here on WW say they had tastings that were delicious, then the food delivered on wedding day was nothing like it 😫 If you can, I would try to find as many reviews from real brides as possible- at least then you would have a better idea of whether the caterer actually delivered great food to the event!

Yeah ! A lot of the time they will let you taste for few or a small fee ! I taste tested 3 places before we decided to go with the one we picked ! I’m so happy with what we choose because it’s SOO good!

Every caterer should offer tastings.

Our caterers offered us a tasting for $50 which if we booked was credited back to us.

The tasting was so huge I got two meals out of my plate.

I’m my area, they do tastings, but not for free. We paid $30/pp for ours before we signed a contract. That’s typical for where we live. There’s no way I would sign a contract without tasting the food. I would suggest you consider the same.

Definitely make sure that tastings are a possibility. Our caterer had a whole spread ready for us to try when we went in.

Don't hire a caterer that won't let you taste their food first. Whoever you go with should be confident that they can consistently provide good food, although some may charge a small fee for the tasting if you don't sign with them.

Countless catering companies offer tastings. You may have to pay for the tasting but it’s peace of mind that you enjoy the food before you book the caterer. Once you sign the contract, you are locked in, unless you are willing to eat the deposit, so make sure you absolutely love the food before you commit. This is why many people hate all inclusive venues is you are not allowed to sample the catering until the last step after everything else is locked in and you have no options if it’s not good except eating the deposit and going elsewhere. With a blank slate venue, you can sample as many catering companies as you need before deciding and you are not locked in to something you will lose major money getting out of.


If they don’t offer a tasting before signing the contract, move to the next caterer on the list. There are ethical vendors who want your business.